Life Changes
by MidnightBlueDragon
Summary: On a mission, Tenten gets kidnapped. Who is this kidnapper and what does he want with her? Being imprisoned changes everything for the weapons mistress.
1. Chapter 1: You

**Disclaimer: i don't own anything...seriously. **

**Well, I wrote this story to work on my writing so any constructive criticism will be taken with much gratitude!!**

Chapter 1: You

Feeling the cool breeze chill her cheek, Tenten wrapped her arms around herself, releasing a tiny shiver. She mentally grimaced for deciding to not bring a jacket but instead deciding that a no sleeved shirt would be sufficient.

Turning her honey-colored eyes to her companions, who were ahead of her, she glared as they seemed to not have the same problem as her. But of course, one was covered to his nose with a heavy jacket and the other had a coat on with the hood up.

The brunette sighed again as she realized that even the dog that was traveling with them looked warmer than she did. Then again, that was a given.

"Tenten!" Her head shot up, her eye's alert to the sound of her teammates calling her name. The taller one just glanced at her for a short moment before commenting, "You look cold. Would you like my jacket?" That's Shino alright, dark and mysterious, yet polite to almost everyone.

"I'm fine," Tenten replied, a little too sharply then she intended but she quickly changed her tone and joked, "I mean, God forbid that you should show your face to anyone."

Their other teammate laughed at the comment, "You know, she's right, Shino." The small white dog that was nestled in the boy's jacket barked his two cents.

"Let's just get going," Shino ordered as he was the captain on this mission. Although his tone was monotone with no sign of annoyance, both Tenten and Kiba could tell that he was slightly pissed off about that comment. But they shook it off, as they always did, because they knew the mysterious boy would end up thinking about something else rather than the small insignificant quip that was just cracked.

As three began stalking their way through the thick shrubs and the tightly packed trees, they kept their guard up. Between Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell that could detect almost anyone's chakra, Shino's bugs that were fully alert all the time anyways, and Tenten's sharp eyes, the three genin were positive that no enemy ninja could get passed them unannounced.

However, there mistake was here: because as they were chatting for a mere five minutes, a hooded figure had begun to follow them. He sneaked behind them, shrouding his sent with a genjutsu, before he launched a kunai at the leader of the group.

Hearing the faint wooshing sound penetrate the silence that had fallen upon the three genin, Shino whipped his head around only to make eye contact with a kunai that was moving dangerously fast towards his face. He flinched; ready to take the pain as he wasn't able to see a way to get out of the way before it made contact.

He had not been the only person to spot the dangerous weapon. Tenten's eyes widened before she moved towards the path of the weapon and managed to catch it mid-air just as it was about to make impact.

There was no time for thanks, as the figure jumped out into the clearing in clear view of the three genin. He was a wearing a cloak that hooded his head. But beneath the shadows that were casted over his eyes, a tiny smirk could be seen.

"Who are you?!" Kiba demanded, flashing his sharp, dog-like teeth, as he held a kunai to the ready.

"The question I believe you should be asking is what are you here for?" the figure replied cryptically, as he moved his hand towards his face and made an action of pushing glasses up to place. "Honestly, I think that the answer to that question would do you much more good."

"Okay," Tenten glanced at her teammates unsurely before continuing slowly, "Then…what are you here for?" Like Kiba, Tenten had reached into her pocket and grabbed a scroll just to ready for the worst case scenario.

"You'll have to find out yourself," the figure replied, the smirk giving off an evil vibe.

"Find out by ourselves?" Shino repeated calmly, taking a step forward. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to tell us yourself? Yes, it would be since you don't want all your chakra to be eaten away by my bugs." The Konoha genin all knew that this was absolute trash talk since they were well aware that Shino had not reached the level of experience needed to implant bugs in another in such little time.

Apparently, the enemy ninja saw right through the empty threat given by the bug user. "It's a shame that you three are so weak at this point," he commented lightly. "Otherwise, I would have liked to have a real fight. Nonetheless, I must get what I came for."

Kiba, being terribly rash, lost his temper. He began to charge at the figure, swiping his kunai at the enemy who put his guard up at the last minute. Although he was unable to avoid the stinging cut that now was created by the blade on his left cheek, he managed to kick Kiba back to the other side of the clearing.

Although his effort was in vain and only ended up in him bruising his shoulder, Kiba's attack had succeeded in making the man's hood fall down to reveal a man of twenty years of age. He had white hair that was pulled back into a pony-tail and had glasses that ornamented his eyes.

Kiba's eyes widened, wincing in pain at the same moment as he realized who the intruder was. Seeing her teammate in pain, Tenten rushed over to him, all the time not taking her eyes off of the white haired male. Gently placing her hand on the boy's good shoulder, she handed him a pain relieving pain which the boy gladly accepted. Nearby, Akamaru's ears drooped as he watched his master gasp in pain.

Watching his team out of the corner of his eyes, Shino carefully began to step forward towards the man, "Kabuto, we meet again."

"I'm flattered that you remember me," Kabuto smirked, then reached into his pocket. He took out a kunai which he began to twirl lazily around his finger. "I always did like you the most, always attentive, sharp."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kiba growled, his pain slowly vanishing due to the pill. "You only knew us for a week during chunin exams!" Feeling a sudden sharp pain in his shoulder, he cringed.

"Calm down, Kiba, the pill needs time to take effect," Tenten soothed in a low voice. Once the boy was calm, she turned to Kabuto, "I'm going to ask once and then you'll answer to my weapons. What _are you_ here for?"

"Well, if you must know," Kabuto's face was sly: he looked like he had something in mind. Moments later, he vanished and appeared right behind Tenten and Kiba. "I'm here for _you."_

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**What did you think? Don't forget to review!!**


	2. Chapter 2: Attack

**Disclaimer: i don't own anything....**

**Here's the new chapter! thanks for the reviews and continue to review, please!~  
Anyways, on with the story! hope you like it!**

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Chapter 2: Attack

Tenten's eyes widened as she froze in her spot, unable to move from sudden shock. As Kabuto began to make a move of grabbing the brunette, Kiba pushed her to the side, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder, and kicked the white haired man.

Trying to avoid the attack, Kabuto was forced to jump back a few paces giving Tenten enough time to recover and roll out one of her scrolls. Instantly, ten kunai were being sent in Kabuto's direction. The man frowned but didn't budge from his spot. When the kunai pierced through him, his body erupted into a puff of smoke.

"Shadow clone," Tenten murmured in recognition, more to herself than for the benefit of her two teammates.

"Stay alert! He could be anywhere," Shino ordered, scanning the area around him. His monotone tone had changed now. It was more frantic, as if he was worried. A frown had taken over his lips although this was unknown to his teammates as the high collar of his jacket provided the cover for this emotion.

The bug user was not the only one who was feeling uneasy at the moment. His teammates easily felt the tenseness in the air which sent shivers down their spines as they knew that their enemy had the upper hand in this case.

Cautiously, Kiba began his jutsu. "Beast Human Clone," He mumbled inaudibly under his breath and almost immediately, with nothing but a cloud of smoke, Akamaru turned into an exact replica of him.

"Adding a dog clone to your side won't help you," the taunting voice of the white haired man echoed in the empty forest yet he remained unseen.

"That's what you think," Kiba growled, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Then show me," Kabuto suddenly appeared behind them for the second time. He held a kunai to Kiba's throat. Feeling the cold metal against his skin, the boy swallowed hard, not moving in here that the man might slit his throat at any second. Kiba watched Akamaru, who looked pissed but helpless at the same time, from the corner his eye. He gave him a subtle signal not to attack.

"Put the kunai down," Tenten ordered, now next to Kabuto, holding up her crossbow to his head. "Or I'll shoot. And don't tempt me either, I cause I won't hesitate to shoot your brains."

Chuckling in manor that scared the genin, Kabuto took the kunai off of Kiba's throat. "I know better than to mess with a genin with good aim."

"My aim is not just 'good'," Tenten glared: her crossbow at the ready. "It's perfect!"

"Oh really? That's not what I've seen," Kabuto smirked and before she could stop herself, Tenten had released the bow.

Tenten watched, dismayed, as the arrow pierced through his heart, "No…. I didn't mean…oh my god!" She said weakly, watching the man collapse to ground, blood seeping from his chest and soaking his clothes.

"Don't worry dear, that was just a mere decoy," she spun around to see the speaker. Kabuto was standing behind her, smirking evilly. What's more, he had no chest wound and his shirt and cloak were clean of all blood.

Giving the girl only moments to comprehend what just happened, Kabuto hit a pressure point of the body's chakra, knocking her out. Now it was Tenten's turn to collapse, unconscious.

As the white haired man leaned down to pick the girl up, Kiba and Akamaru rushed forward, tackling him to the ground. "Akamaru, get Tenten!" Kiba ordered as he threw a carefully aimed punch at Kabuto. Doing as he was told, Akamaru lifted the brunette from off the short forest grass and gently laid her on tree branch a little way off so that she wouldn't get in the way of the fight.

"You know you'll get tired of this soon," Kabuto commented as he dodged every one of Kiba's lunges.

"We'll see about that," Kiba gritted his teeth, not letting up. At this point, Akamaru also began to attempt to pummel Kabuto but he too was easily dodged by the white haired man.

"Is that all you got?" Kabuto taunted, raising an eyebrow as he jumped out of their aim and on to a safe position on a tree branch.

"We haven't even gotten started," A voice noted behind him.

Kabuto twisted his body around just in time to block a kunai jabbed at him by Shino. "I was wondering where you went."

Shino said nothing by continued to fight. _'Damn, if only I had been able to get that in him. I need to find another way to get the bugs inside him."_

The Konoha's genin began to slow down in his attacks which assured Kabuto that he was getting distracted by his thoughts. Taking this chance, Kabuto aimed a chakra-filled punch at the boy, sending him flying backwards. Shino hit the ground with a thud, his glasses lying nearby as they had been knocked off.

"It's so sad that you cannot even protect your own team," Kabuto mused as he leaped down from the tree branch, landing on the glasses that were lying in the grass, shattering it.

"You're the one who's sad!" Kiba bellowed as he once again rushed at the white haired man, this time with much less force and power.

Kabuto dodged it easily, and chuckled lightly, "Oh the irony." With a quick few kicks, Kiba and Akamaru were down for the count and Kabuto hovered over them, looking completely pleased with his work.

Feeling that he had all the time in the world, Kabuto strolled casually over to the tree that Tenten was laying on, unconscious. With a swift jump, he was standing over her. Roughly picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, Kabuto smirked triumphantly. "Orochimaru will be pleased." He murmured softly to himself.

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**What do you think please review, constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! **


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting

**Disclaimer: i do not own anything!!!!!!!**

**YAY! thanks for the reviews!!!!!!!!!!!! please continue to do so!! (and i will continue to update ;) --if that's a good thing or a bad thing, you decide...**

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Chapter 3: Meeting

Groggily opening her eyes to darkness, Tenten shifted her position on what seemed to be cold, hard concrete. The air was stuffy, with a slight mist mixed in. It had the strong smell of something that Tenten could not pinpoint. Sitting up, clutching her head with her right hand, she realized where the distressing smell was coming from: she was lying next to a pool of blood. With a quick check, she noticed that her shirt was also stained it blood. But what distressed her even more was that she knew it wasn't her blood as she had no cuts or scratches. In fact, as she remembered slowly, she had gone down with minimum amount damage to her body.

Shifting up a little more, her eyes fell upon the thick bars in front of her. _"So that's where I am,"_ she thought distastefully. To her right and left, there were thick walls and facing the cubicle of a jail cell was a single torch. It's light spilled into the front portion of the jail cell then dispersed into the darkness. This gave Tenten just about enough light to check her utility belt. However, it would have been useful if she still _had _her belt as she realized that it was gone. Feeling her forehead, she was assured of the fact that her Konoha forehead protector had also been removed.

Tenten crawled over to the back wall where she would be in full view of anyone passing and slumped down next to it. She sighed deeply as she pulled her legs closer to her and buried her face in her hands. "How am I going to get out of here?" She moaned out loud, her voice dripping with grief and misery.

"That's the point, you're not supposed to get out," a calm voice stated. Tenten whipped her head up and glared at the speaker who she recognized quite well.

"You….you traitor," Tenten couldn't help herself; she knew it wasn't _his _fault, but her anger was getting the best of her. The idea of someone actually leaving to be in her position at his own will was aggravating to her.

The boy gave her a bored look, but kept his silence, allowing her to continue her rant.

"You left all of your friends behind to join some evil kidnapper!" Tenten screamed, trying to stand up but a pain in her leg stopping her. As she dropped back down, feeling defeated, she murmured, "Just leave me alone."

The boy raised an eyebrow and shrugged. The raven haired boy was about to leave when he paused abruptly and turned to her, his eyes lifeless, yet serious, "Remember this from now on: I have no friends."

Even after an hour of the short, one sided conversation, his vengeance filled face was still fresh in Tenten's mind. She couldn't help but stare at the spot that was vacated when he casually strolled out. _"Sasuke Uchiha…who are you really?" _

* * *

Sasuke reclined on his hard, bed, glaring a hole in the ceiling. He was pissed and he knew why. He jumped up out of his bed, throwing the door open, he exited the dark, small room where he spent most of his time when he wasn't training. Slamming the door shut, Sasuke stalked through the halls until he reached the last door in one of the corridors.

The door flew out of the hinges with a powerful, chakra-infused kick aimed right at the center. Narrowing his eyes at the sight of the white haired man who merely looked up, amused, Sasuke growled, "Kabuto, what the hell have you been up to?"

Kabuto chuckled as he knew exactly what Sasuke meant: the newest 'prisoner', one of his old fellow Konoha genin.

"Why did you bring _her_ here?" Sasuke demanded once more, clenching his fist tight. "You have no use for her!"

"Ah, Sasuke, I didn't know you cared," Kabuto teased mockingly. "So the big, bad Uchiha who wants to get revenge against his only brother has a heart. Who would have guessed?"

Sasuke slammed his hand into the wall adjacent to him, but regretted that immediately. His hand now was throbbing with pain, but he would not allow the white haired ninja to get the pleasure of seeing him pain so he quickly placed an indifferent expression on his face. "I don't care. But she's from Konoha and chances are they will be coming to look for her. Do you want to start another mess up now?"

Kabuto frowned, "I see your point. Put it was under Orochimaru-sama's orders that I brought her here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, quizzically, "What would Orochimaru want with her? From what I've heard she's only a weapons user."

"Look, Orochimaru, doesn't tell me everything so I don't know," Kabuto replied before glancing from the he was reading back to Sasuke. "If you don't mind, I have a book to finish."

Judging whether to threaten Kabuto to see if he had said everything that he knew or to just leave it, Sasuke decided that he needed to keep himself on the down low for now. So without a word, he silently left the room.

* * *

_Four hours later…_

The raven haired boy murmured another string of curses at the white haired ninja who had forced him into taking the new prisoner her dinner. If you could call it a dinner, of course. It consisted of a measly bowl of chicken water soup, with a higher concentration of water than of broth, and a small hunk of dry bread.

Sasuke finally reached the correct cell and glanced at the sole occupant: the brunette's head was down and she was leaning against the wall. He let out a soft cough to get her attention. He succeeded as her eyes lifted from off the ground and stared weakly into his eyes.

"What do you want?" She murmured almost inaudibly. Sasuke didn't reply but pushed the tray of 'food' towards her. She looked up at the boy, curiously, "What happened to your hand?"

Eyes widening slightly, Sasuke moved the hand in which he had slammed into the wall out of her view. It was shaking slightly and he guessed that she noticed it.

"What happened to your hand?" She repeated, alarmed. She stared into his raven eyes with such a look of worry that he diverted his eyes. For some odd reason, he began to think about the impact on the people in Konoha when he left. He couldn't pinpoint it but something was bothering him.

He slammed the door of the jail cell shut, leaving behind the pathetic brunette. He walked away, not daring himself to look back; he was too afraid that the emotions would take over. But as he exited the dungeon portion of Orochimaru's lair, he realized the feeling he had suppressed moments earlier: guilt. He didn't know why he had such feelings but he knew one thing: he wanted to get rid them.

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**What did you think? Please review!!!!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Connect

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything..**

**YAY! Finally got time to post this. Thanks for all the reviews and please continue leaving them~**

**Hope you like this chapter!**

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Chapter 4: Connect

The only way to forget about this 'guilt', Sasuke had realized soon afterwards, was to forget about the girl and to keep his distance from the prisoner. Of course, in his case, it was easier said than done. It had been originally Kabuto's daily job to feed the brunette prisoner her measly portion. However, the white haired man had tactfully smooth-talked himself out of the job as he informed Orochimaru that he was far too busy with his 'experiments' to pause and make the "long", tedious walk downstairs to feed a mere prisoner.

Orochimaru, who relied on Kabuto's experiments to find him ways to become immortal and all powerful, reflected on what Kabuto had said and soon deemed him correct and that someone else should do the deed. However, the black haired Sannin also insisted that he wanted someone who could not be easily swayed or defeated to take the meal to Tenten. This was another signal that told Sasuke that this girl was meant for purposes that the Sannin was keeping secret. So naturally, Sasuke being Orochimaru's favorite protégé at the time, was chosen to make the trip to the dungeons and back, twice a day, every day.

As a result, of course, Sasuke's plans to stay away from the strange brunette were shattered.

After a month of rudely pushing the rusty tray towards the brunette every day without a word, Sasuke was surprised to hear the girl speak again. Her voice came soft, but that was the result of her weak state from malnutrition since most days she refused to eat. But the thing that most surprised Sasuke was the fact that her voice wasn't shaky and there was no hint of the fear coming from her lips. "So why did you get stuck with this job?" The raven haired boy turned to stare at her and was surprised once more to see a small smirk on her lips, as if she had just hit a nerve inside of him that had been irking for a month now. "Congratulations, you have gone from traitor to servant boy." Her eyes were lowered onto the ground, staring at the tray. She lifted them slowly, and now it was her turn to be surprised.

While she had been expecting the raven haired boy to be pissed at her little comment, she saw a bemused look on his face. This aggravated her, "What are you amused at?" She demanded forcefully, her eyes now glaring icily into the black eyes of her onlooker.  
But Sasuke merely let out an amused grunt before stalking away into the darkness that shrouded the door way.

"GET BACK HERE YOU-" Tenten screamed but was cut off as sharp pain made her drop back down against the wall. She lowered her head, letting a single tear escape in her state of weakness and pity.

* * *

"You know Orochimaru doesn't enjoy it when you torment his Bodies," Kabuto mused as he flipped the page of his book. Not once did he glance up at the Uchiha who was seated nearby, scowling at the wall.

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped, turning his scowl toward the bespectacled man. "Wait," he realized suddenly. "You said 'Body'. Why?" His question came out more forcefully then he intended but he guessed that it was just this 'guilt' thing was still bothering him.

"Calm down, Sasuke_-kun." _Kabuto smirked slyly as he glanced up from his book at the raven haired boy. "And yes, the girl is going to be one of Orochimaru-sama new bodies."

"But why?" Sasuke was confused and he despised it when he was confused. "She has no real jutsu. All she can do is throw around some useless weapons."

"You sound jealous," Kabuto teased slyly.

"Pfft, me, be jealous of that no one?" Sasuke scoffed. "I just want to know why you're keeping her alive."  
"I have no idea whatsoever why Orochimaru-sama wants the girl," Kabuto replied in such a way that Sasuke was positive that he was lying.

"Whatever, but if you want her alive so badly, try doing a better job at it," Sasuke snapped before storming out of the room. Midway back to his room, he fully began to comprehend what had just happened. He leaned against the wall and swallowed. _Why do I even care about that girl? _His head was throbbing with questions yet his heart denied them all access to the outer world. _'I need to get rid of this guilt now.' _He thought, decided on what he was about to do. Once again that day, he made his way to the dark chambers where the girl was being kept. But the difference this time was that instead of carrying a tray, he was carrying a dagger.

* * *

The soft sound of footsteps on the cold, concrete floor woke Tenten from her slumber. Her eyes widened as she eyed the object in the raven haired boy's hand: it was a beautiful hand-crafted dagger, Tenten could tell with just a glance at the icy metal. Her eyes narrowed and she gave him a glare that matched his own. "What do you think you're about to do?" She asked, hatred dripping from her voice. The chains attached to the shackles that tightly gripped her hands were the only thing that stopped her from attacking him on the spot.

The barred door slid open and Sasuke slipped inside.

"You have overstayed your welcome," he commented bluntly, twisting the dagger around his thumb. "It's time for you to go." He was now positioned next to her and was about to bring the dagger down in the final blow when Tenten used the little strength she could muster and kicked him in the shin. Yelping in pain, Sasuke dropped the weapon centimeters away from the imprisoned girl. She reached for it but Sasuke, who had regained himself and suppressed the pain, stepped on her hand causing her to scream in pain. Sasuke turned to give her a triumphant smirk before he bent down to get the silver dagger. His fingers were about to clasp around the handle, but in a swift leg swipe by Tenten, he was lying on the floor, his back burning in pain. The last thing he saw was Tenten panting heavily and trying to regain her breath before his eyes fluttered closed and he blacked out.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Sasuke was blinded by the illumination of light over him. He shot up in the bed he was lying in. Immediately, he figured out where he was: Kabuto's laboratory.

"Oh good, you're awake," Kabuto noted brightly as he approached the raven haired boy with a smug smile and a large shot. Sasuke glanced warily at the shot. "Relax, this isn't for you."

"Why am I here?" Sasuke questioned although he knew that answer.

"Tell me you haven't forgotten? You tried to kill a chained girl and you failed," Kabuto informed him, his smile growing. "Which reminds me: Orochimaru-sama should here soon to reprimand you for your deed."

"Whatever," Sasuke murmured leaning back in the bed and shutting his eyes. He mind drifted to the fight that the brunette put up. He was well aware that she had little strength and was slightly amazed at the fact that she had managed to defeat him. Maybe getting rid of her wasn't the brightest idea but that feeling was still there. He was beginning to be fed up with it.

"Ahem," a cough broke Sasuke out of his thoughts and he opened his eyes to see Kabuto glaring at him and signaling him to sit up. Slowly, he sat up as he knew why the white haired man had been so frantic all of the sudden: Orochimaru had arrived.

"Sasuke," the snake man greeted, his voice was soft and almost broken; and he looked weak and tired. "I heard about your little fight with Tenten-dear."

The Uchiha kept his silence but felt a feeling of loathing when Orochimaru said the girl's name.

"I have to thank you, though," Orochimaru continued a smile on his lips. "I have now seen the girl's true potential. Taking you down was no easy feat. No, I think that I should wait before we do the body-change jutsu. Kabuto, make sure she is brought back to full health and then begin her training."

"Yes, sir," Kabuto bowed his head as the Sannin left the room.

While Orochimaru was leaving and Kabuto was too busy admiring his idol, Sasuke snuck out of the lab and to the prison cells for the third time that day. Sticking his bandaged hands into his pockets, he casually strolled to the cell that the brunette occupied. He was slightly surprised to see her there as he thought that she would be healing but then he remembered that he had gotten more beat up then the chained prisoner. Sasuke sat down and leaned his back against the wall opposite the cell so that he was facing the jail cell and could see the brunette. His onyx eyes met her honey colored ones as her head lifted up to give him a smirk. "You're different than others." Sasuke noted.

"Thanks, I suppose," Tenten managed a smug grin. "Now I don't know if I should be pissed at the fact that you tried to kill me, although you failed miserably--"

Sasuke grimaced, "Thanks for reminding me."

"--Or not," Tenten finished.

"I don't know," Sasuke shrugged, "It's your choice, not like I can change that."  
Tenten sighed deeply. She no longer looked weak and in pain, Sasuke noticed. "Well, unlike some people," she eyed Sasuke, "I don't hold grudges so I propose a peace treaty between us. You don't try to kill me again and I won't kick your butt again. Agreed?"

"Whatever," Sasuke shrugged again.

"Also, you need to stop giving me short answers. Don't you know how to converse?" Tenten questioned sharply.

"Fine, I agree to your 'treaty'," Sasuke sighed, deciding that he wanted to be on her good side.

"But I don't," Tenten replied, crossing her arms.

Sasuke protested, stunned at her sudden refusal, "You're the one who suggested it."

"I know, but you need to answer a question for me first. Why did you try to kill me?" The serene, focused look in her eyes told Sasuke that she wanted the truth.

"There was a feeling that I needed to get rid of," Sasuke replied cautiously, choosing the right words.

"It's called guilt," Tenten informed a matter-a-factly. She gave him a smirk, "I'm actually glad that you left Konoha, though."

"And why is that?" The raven haired boy raised an eyebrow curiously.

Tenten shrugged, and then stared at ceiling as if she was looking at the invisible sky. Blinking twice, she looked back into his onyx eye, "Konoha was just holding you back. There was no way that you could get revenge for the massacre. You need to fulfill your purpose even if takes joining a slimy, snake-like she-man."

Sasuke let out a small chuckle at her comment. "You know, it's kind of refreshing to talk to someone who seems to understand what I'm going through and what I need to do."

"Wow, another compliment. You're working over time today, aren't you, Uchiha?" Tenten commented lightly, a rare smile plastered on her lips. It was a smile that Sasuke had never seen during the time she had been held prisoner.

Unable to stop himself, the raven haired boy unconsciously gave a genuine smile back. Tenten sighed, a tiny bit of joy in her breath, "Today was life changing. I never even dreamed that we could connect."

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WHat did you think? Please review!

(Also, I hope you don't see this as going too fast. But please tell me, criticism is welcome!)


	5. Chapter 5: Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything!!!**

**so i'm not dead and here's the new chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5: Escape

The soft sound of breathing brought Tenten to look up and see a white haired man giving her a sly smile. She instantly recognized him: he was the reason why she was imprisoned in this tiny, cold, slimy prison cell that wasn't even the size of her kitchen back in her apartment which was in Konoha. "What do you want?" She demanded fiercely, clenching her fists angrily, repressing all urges to kill him because she knew she couldn't even get into a one foot range of him, not with the chains on her.

Noting her fingernails digging into her white flesh, Kabuto chuckled amused. It was a sound that sent shivers down her spine. "Orochimaru-sama wants me to begin your training today." As he talked, he unlocked the door and slid it open. He entered the cell and approached her, the keys to her chains in his hand, staring at her tauntingly. "That's why we'll be taking new precautions with you."

The brunette decided that she didn't like the sound of that as she watched the white haired man take hold of her wrist, his grip forceful on her slender arm, and unlock the cuff. The metal cuff fell to the ground with a thump as it made contact with the hard concrete. Thinking fast, Tenten aimed her other arm with a punch to Kabuto's head. With a smirk, Kabuto grabbed hold of her other arm just before it made contact. "It'll take more than that you know."

But now it was Tenten's time to smirk smugly as she kneed him right in the stomach, the punch being the mere distraction which the white haired man had fell for. Releasing the girl's hand, Kabuto's hands went to grip his stomach which was burning with pain. She aimed another kick at the same region, this time knocking out the man. With her free hand, she reached out and was barely able to grab the fallen keys. Freeing herself from the shackles, she stumbled up and attempted to wipe some of the dirt from her clothes. Seeing that it really was absolutely pointless, she ditched Kabuto and left the small cage ---not however, before locking the cell door and taking the keys with her.  
Swiftly she ran, her feet barely making any noise on the cold marble floor.

* * *

Sasuke chucked another kunai into the straw practice dummy which had a target strapped to it. Again, he missed, hitting the ring that was adjacent to the bull's eye instead. "Why can't I hit it?" He hissed angrily to himself as he tightened his fist around another kunai. Just as he was about to throw it, he heard a noise from the trees above him. Someone was running above him, he determined and moments later he was on the same level as the person and jumping from tree to tree in the same direction.

His sharp eyes caught site of something brown ahead of him. Instantly he knew who it was. Changing his tactics, he stopped chasing her but rather leaped up and along the branches one level higher than he was before. Speeding up, he get in front of the brunette and so his next step was to jump into her way. The brown haired girl came to a stop to glare at him. There was a mere five inches between their faces so Sasuke could hear her panting heavily. He took a couple of steps back to give her more room to regain herself.

"Move," she ordered, her energy completely drained but still having the will power to continue in her quest to escape. Her vivid brown eyes glared into his lifeless onyx ones.

"You won't make it outside," Sasuke commented, knowing that she wouldn't hurt him even if her tone was slightly threatening. They had a treaty anyways, and he knew she was the type of person who always kept her word.

"Move," Tenten's voice was clear and steady, a complete contrast to how she looked: dirty, tired, and weak. But being the stubborn girl she had always been, she refused to let the tiredness, the empty hole in her stomach, and her dizziness to stop her. And she sure as hell was not about to let some raven haired boy stop her. "Or I will attack." She was hesitant in her words because she was thinking back to the pact that they made a long time ago. Mentally cursing herself for making such a promise, she slid out a dagger from the pockets of her dirty, baggy green pants. It was the same pants that she used to wear on every mission she would go on.

"Where did you get that from?" Sasuke questioned, eyeing the silver dagger that she was clutching like her life depended on it.

She let out a dry laugh, "I stole it from the guards here. They're really weak, you know?" She began to slowly step in his direction, expecting him to back off but he stood his ground. "What, you're not scared?"

Sasuke crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Should I be?"

Shrugging indifferently, Tenten raised the dagger to his throat, "I do have a knife, you know. And I'm pretty efficient when it comes to weapons you know."

The Uchiha felt the cold metal dig into his throat but didn't bat an eyelash. "You're too noble to go back on your word. You won't hurt me," by now he was smirking like he had the upper hand, "You also don't have the guts to attack me."

"I guess you're right," Tenten laughed lightly as she removed the dagger from his throat. "But then again, you probably are wrong." Those were the last words Sasuke heard before he completely blacked out.

Tenten watched him as he fell off the branch, feeling a little pain in her heart. "He got what was coming to him...but why do I feel so guilty?" She sighed defeated as she jumped down after him and grabbed him before he hit the ground. She laid him carefully on the ground before taking her leave, and not looking back once.

All the while, the dagger remained in the boy's body.

* * *

**Rather short...**

**tell me what you think! constructive critisicm is more than welcome! :)**

**REVIEW PWEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6: Even

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything!!!**

**Here's the new chapter, and thanks for the reviews!!!!**

**Don't forget to keep reviewing, constructive criticism is always welcome!**

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Chapter 6: Even

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open to meet the blinding white light of Kabuto's laboratory. It felt like déjà vu._"Why am I here?" _He thought groggily, struggling to sit up but the sudden strike of pain in his stomach shot him back down to the lying position. He lifted his head up slightly and looked at his bandaged he remembered why he was there: he had tried to stop the brunette from risking her life and escaping. The only reason he had stopped her, of course, was to keep her from dying but even so, she tried to kill him. His mind drifted farther back, when he had been here last time after _he_ had tried to kill _her. _

"Ah, you're awake good," he couldn't see but he knew that Kabuto was smirking joyfully at the position he was currently in and he grimaced. "Now open your mouth, you need to take this medicine in order for you to recover fully."

Sasuke felt a cold metal cup at his lips before he could protestor refuse and immediately remembered the cold dagger that had laid so dangerously at his throat. As the cold liquid slid down his throat, he wondered what had happened to the girl. Had she gotten away?

"What happened to her?" Sasuke asked, clearing his throat of the medicine.

"She got captured," Kabuto replied not batting an eyelash as he began preparing some mixture of herbs. "She spent the last four weeks in the torture room." There was a cruel smile on his lips now as he loomed over the injured boy.

"How long have I been out?" Sasuke asked as he stared into the evil eyes of his doctor.

"About a month, now drink this," Kabuto answered as he brought another cup to the boy's lips. "You should be pain free in two days and out of my hair and lab in five. So I suggest you take it easy, because we both don't want you here longer then necessary. Babysitting is not me forte."

Sasuke nodded as he would rather be anywhere else then the experimenting lab of the white haired man. But there was one more thing that he had to know before he could hold his peace and wait out his time of being imprisoned in this 'hospital'. "Which one?"  
"Excuse me?" Kabuto raised an eyebrow as he turned away from his medicines to smirk amusedly at the raven haired Uchiha..

"Which torture room is she in?" Sasuke asked again because of the strong urge to know. Yet he didn't know why, but he just needed to know.

"The Lightening Whip, which has always been my favorite," Kabuto replied thoroughly amused before turning back and pouring a red liquid on a pile of green herbs.

_"Only because you've never felt it burn into your skin before," _The raven haired boy felt himself glaring at the bright lights that hovered above him when what he really wanted was to glare at the cruel man who was helping heal his injuries.

* * *

Five days pass slowly when all you're doing is lying around in bed thinking about your attacker was what Sasuke determined on the last day that he was forced to stay in the bleak white laboratory. On one hand, he hated the brown haired girl for putting him back into this depressed room (he didn't blame her for the first time since that had been his own fault) but on the other hand, he felt pity for her as he remembered her eyes: desperate to escape, yet so tired, yet so determined all at the same time.

She may not seem like it, but she truly was one of the best kunoichi out there. For someone to have that much determination and courage was what it meant to be a shinobi. That's what Sasuke thought for a long time now and was living by those standards: he wasn't going to give up until he got to his brother and got revenge for his dead family.

Because of this, he began to grow a deep respect for the brown haired female ninja.

"Orochimaru-sama says you can leave now," Kabuto informed him as he walked into the room, holding a thick folder full of papers."Now run along, I have a lot of important experiments and planning to do."

He didn't need to tell Sasuke twice because once the first sentence had left his mouth, the raven haired boy was already out the door.

After a while of just roaming the dark corridors and getting used to being back on his legs again, Sasuke realized that he really didn't have anywhere to go. If he had wanted, he could have gone training but then again, he wasn't _fully _recovered yet as he still had a rather large gash on his abdomen that gave him pain occasionally.

Unconsciously, he let his feet take control and the next thing he knew, he was standing outside the door to the dark, cramped dungeon. _She won't be here, _he told himself. _She's probably unconscious from the torture. _But as he wondered why he even cared so much, his feet once again moved on their own accord and he found himself now outside her prison cell.

Much to his surprise, she was lying limply on the floor, panting. All the skin that was visible and not covered by her dirty rags of clothing had red marks on them. Her hair was out of her buns but her long hair which was spilled around her and on the dirty stone floor was singed and burned at the bottom.

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed deeply as he stared at the lifeless form of the once determined, energetic female. "I told you not to try," he murmured out loud.

"But if I hadn't," her weak voice surprised him. "I wouldn't have known it was impossible to escape this hellhole."

"I can't believe you can still talk," Sasuke felt a little relief that she wasn't completely dead. He leaned against the wall and let himself slide down. He began to think back to his state after he had come out of that same torture. Although he had only been in there for a week compared to her four weeks, he had barely managed to breath, let alone talk afterwards.

"I'm not dead yet," Tenten managed a small smile as she weakly sat up and looked at the boy. "Sorry." Her chocolate eyes looked like a mixture of sadness and sincerity.

"What?" The raven haired boy was confused at the word that came out of her pale lips, believing that he had heard wrong. "What did you just say?"

"Sorry for trying to kill you." Tenten repeated softly. "Even after the pact we made--"

"It's fine," Sasuke replied quickly, not being able to see her with such a look of regret. Again his own actions surprised himself. "After all, we're even now, right? I tried to kill you, you tried to kill me. Now we should make our treaty before it becomes unbalanced again."

Managing a small nod, Tenten showed her agreement, "Then the Sasuten Treaty is reborn."

"Sasuten?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Being in tortured forces one to try to keep their minds busy. You would be amazed about what I came up with during that month," Tenten attempted a simple shrug but pain took over once more and she began shaking. "Say, Sasu-chan, could you do something for me?"  
"Don't call me that," Sasuke cringed at the nickname.

"Fine, _Sasuke,_" Tenten rolled her eyes. "Come in to the cell. Don't worry I won't hurt you. The keys are right next to the door."

Without hesitation, Sasuke stood up and grabbed the cell keys from off the stone wall and unlocked the barred door. Slipping in he closed it behind him but was careful not to lock it. "What do you want me to do?"

"Could you cut of my hair?" This question suddenly hit Sasuke out of the blue.

"What?!"

"Not all of it. Just the burnt parts."

"No. I don't cut hair."

"Come on!" Tenten whined. "We have a treaty!"

"This has nothing to do with that," Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Just do it or I'll kick you," Tenten threatened.

"Oh really? How are you going to do that?" He raised an eyebrow as he smirked, amused at her empty threat.

"I managed to escape, didn't I? How do you think that happened?" Tenten matched his smirk with one of her own. Her eyes met his and they held each other's gaze until pain shocked the brunette once more and she was forced to look away. "Come one, please." Minutes ago, Sasuke had noticed that her voice was slowly getting stronger but now her voice was weak and broken again.

Wordlessly, Sasuke took out his kunai from his pocket and gingerly picked up some of her hair. It was mid shoulder length but six inches needed to be cut off because of the burns. Using the kunai, he began to hack of the burnt brown hair, being careful not to pull her hair and giver her anymore pain then she already had.

But a thought overtook his mind, "How did you get your haired burnt, if you were being tortured by lightning?" Sasuke mused, confused.

"I don't know," Tenten mumbled. "I was getting really pissed from that whip and then the next thing I know the candle that that man was holding erupted into a great flame that began to surround me. Next thing I knew, I was awake and in a different room with burns all over my arms and another week in torture."

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked, eyes widening slightly.

"Nothing! At least nothing that I know of. But then again, ever since I came here, I don't know anything anymore," Tenten mumbled quietly as she stared down at the cold marble floor. She sighed miserably before continuing, "I just want to know what's going to happen to me. Do you know? Could you tell me?" She turned her head abruptly and looked at him with pleading honey eyes.

Sasuke bit his lip to keep from spilling the truth out in one breath. Those eyes looked like they were piercing through all those shields he had built up and were reaching his heart. "No," He lied, "I don't know. I don't know anything."

"Oh," Her eyes lowered and she turned her head away.

"Hey, don't move so much," Sasuke warned as he continued to cut her hair, hating himself as he watched each lock of dead hair fall to the ground. he wanted to tell her everything even if he didn't know why. But he couldn't tell her, it would just hurt her more to know that she was in a position with no way out. "Okay, I'm done."

"I wish I could see it," Tenten sighed again, but this time of contentment, as she ran her fingers through her now shoulder length hair.

"Here," the raven haired boy offered her the reflective metal kunai to use as a mirror.

She stared back at him with wide eyes, "What are you doing?"

"What, you said you wanted to see your hair. Use this," Sasuke explained bluntly, extending his hand further for her to take the metal weapon.

The brunette stared at the weapon. Silver, smooth, airline, perfect for throwing and hitting your target. Not long ago, she was a master at using such weapons along with all other sorts and types of weapons. But now she hesitated to take the silver weapon from the raven haired boy. "Why? Aren't you afraid I'll attack you again?" A tear swelled up in her eye but she made no attempt to wipe it away. "I almost killed a comrade...I feel so stupid!"

"No," her head rose as she looked at Sasuke with glossy eyes. "I trust you." His mouth was lifeless showing no visible emotion, it was his eyes that gave him away. His onyx eyes were almost smiling at her, filling her with a sort of warmth that made even the pains from the whip she had earlier disappear momentarily.

"Thank you, thank you for being my ally," she smiled genuinely at him as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

* * *

**What did you think? Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7: Examination

**Disclaimer: i do not own anything.**

**Hi, y'all~ sorry for the late update, (hopefully) another chapter will come out soon but hope you enjoy this one and don't forget to review!**

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Chapter 7: Examination

"Today's the day," Kabuto mused as he sipped his tea carefully. Placing down the cup, he began to flip through the thick book that was lying next to breakfast.

"The day for what?" Sasuke asked coldly, hating every moment of having breakfast with the mysterious white haired man who would randomly offer snippets of important information and rarely elaborate ending up in him being left in the dark which was one thing that Sasuke hated the most, not having the slightest clue of what was going on around him.

"That girl's time has come," Kabuto added with a smirk, his eye never leaving the page of the book.

Sasuke visibly paled, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Her training will begin today. Orochimaru-sama wants to make her strong for when he takes over," Kabuto explained briefly as he took out his pen and scribbled something down into the book. "These days you seem to be caring about something other than getting stronger. I'm surprised, Sasuke-chan." He lifted up his face to reveal a bemused smirk, one that Sasuke had been seeing a lot of lately.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Stop using me as a source of entertainment," Sasuke snapped as he pushed his plate of half eaten eggs and toast aside and stormed out of the room.

"Why so defensive?" Kabuto chuckled to himself as he sipped his black coffee.

* * *

"Hey, eat your breakfast. You'll need it today."

Tenten lifted her drooping head to see the raven haired boy who had visited her so many times during her time caged in this small, cramped cell. A small smile graced her lips, "Hey, you came again." She glanced at the tray of stale, almost decayed bread, and smirked, "And I'll take my chances without the fungi they call bread."

"Your hair has gotten longer," Sasuke commented out of the blue. It was true, the girl's messy, unruly dark brown hair now reached just below her shoulders.

"You're random today which means you know what they're going to do to me today!" Tenten smiled as she struggled to sit up. Her smile seemed to give of an air of excitement which suprised the raven haired boy.

"Why do you treat this like a big game?" Sasuke questioned grimly as he took his normal seat against the opposing wall.

"It makes it seem easier to get through that way. And more fun," Tenten replied almost cheerfully.

"You're lying to yourself, aren't you?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the 'happy' brown haired prisoner who looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Nope, I'm just a happy person by nature," Tenten continued to grin goofily, even more as she knew it was angering the raven haired boy.

"You piss me off," Sasuke jumped up from his uncomfortable seat on the cold floor and stormed out of the dungeon.

"Maybe I should try harder to make my small number of visitors to stay longer," Tenten mumbled softly and almost sadly to herself.

* * *

"I hope you're not tired. We have a lot of work to do today," Kabuto sing-sang almost as he strolled over to the door of Tenten's cell. He opened the door with the key and walked towards her. "Hmmm, de ja vu, ne? But this time will be different," the white haired man grabbed hold one of her chained down hands and slipped a black bracelet onto her thin wrist and proceeded to do the same thing on her other arm. "You seem different today, _Tennie-chan, _you're not struggling anymore. It almost sucks the fun out of it." To finish the job, Kabuto clasped a black choker around her neck.

"Screw you," Tenten muttered as she glared at him. "What the hell are these for? I doubt they're just for accessorizing."

"Smart girl," Kabuto smirked evilly. "These will help me control you."

"Joy," Tenten murmured sarcastically, "You're such a pervert." A sudden electric wave ripped through her veins and she was overcome with pain. As she clenched her throbbing abdomen, she glanced up at the white haired man who was smirking down at her and holding a remote like object in his hand.

"Watch that tongue of yours, dear," Kabuto warned lightly. He leaned down once more and unlocked the chains on her arms and legs, "Don't even think about running away. Unless of course, you want a stronger shock."

Tenten bit back her string of insults but kept her glare steady. It took all her energy to not start spitting out curses at the white haired man who was smirking at her evilly. It took even more energy for her to not to attack him or try to run away, but she didn't want to get shocked again so she tried her best to stay calm and level-headed. However she couldn't help but thinking, that this wasn't what she meant by wanting her visitors to stay longer. In fact, she would rather that Kabuto not visit her at all, but she never got what she wanted.

"Now, follow me, dear," without so much as a backwards glance, Kabuto made his way out of the cell and out of the dungeon area. He didn't need to turn around to see if the brunette was following because he knew that she was smart enough to do what was best for her even though she could get out of hand at some moments.

Following silently, Tenten observed her surroundings and took note of what halls they walked through and soon she had the whole route in her head. She figured that she could maybe use it to find away to escape this maze of a fortress.

The dark hallways that the two ninja were travelling through began to narrow and the number of torches hanging from the walls began to slowly lessen. Pretty soon, there were portions of the hallway that were so dark that one wouldn't have been able to see his hands.

"Hmm, maybe I should have brought a torch," Kabuto mused out loud. The dark haired girl forced any sarcastic reply down her throat as she knew that he was merely tempting her so that he could punish her again.

After a couple more minutes of walking through the dark corridor, Kabuto stopped in front of a large metal door with what seemed to be a padlock hanging from it. Tenten raised an eyebrow at the giant lock but said nothing as Kabuto delicately shoved a old fashioned key into the padlock and jiggled around. When the padlock snapped open, Kabuto took it out and opened the large door with his other hand. He motioned for Tenten to go in first before he followed inside at put the padlock on the door but this time locking it from the inside.

Watching him curiously and with a little fright, Tenten commented with dry humor, "You know that's a fire hazard."

Kabuto turned to face Tenten when he was done, a smirk planted firmly on his pale face, "Always the one to brighten the mood, aren't you? So positive about everything. Well, we'll just have to break that and let your real emotions out."

Tenten felt herself unsciously backing up, trying to get farther away from the sadistic man, "What do you mean by that?" She questioned, her voice shaking with every syllable.

"Don't worry about that dear," Kabuto walked over to a small sink that was located in the corner of the room. As he washed his hands and slipped on some latex gloves, Tenten took the time to carefully observe the room.

There was what seemed to be a doctor's examining bed on the right side of the room, a large paper draped over the bed (probably, to keep it clean for every new 'patient') and next to the bed was a large machine that she had never seen before. Other than cabinets of supplies on the left side, the room was pretty much empty and bare. The walls had an incredibly bleak and soulless white color on them and the tiles on the floor with a smooth and shiny white. In fact, Tenten noticed, everything was pretty much white or gray.

The only thing that actually popped in the room, was a black door on the far end of the room that was located next to what seemed to a window. As she stared at the black door, Tenten knew that she wasn't going to like what was going to happen in there.

"Tenten, get up on the bed," Kabuto ordered as he grabbed a clip-board from the counter and took a seat in a stool. For a second, as she climbed up onto the examining bed, Tenten felt that she was actually at a doctor's appointment, except that the doctor was extremely creepy.

Kabuto jumped up from his seat after scribbling something down on the papers that were clasped tightly to the clipboard and set the clipboard down in his seat. The white haired man approached the large, gray machine and began furiously typing something and not before long, a compartment opened in the machine. He reached into the little space and pulled out a couple of wires, all with suctions on one end and attached to the machine by the other end. "I'm going to wire you up and we're going to measure the amount of chakra you have."

Tenten swallowed hard as she watched the white haired man come towards her with the wires, hoping that it would cause any pain on her part. Unfortunately for her, her hopes were in vain.

* * *

**A/N: I was thinking about how ironic it is that i absolutely HATE Kabuto and yet he's one of the main characters of this story. Didn't really see that one coming... :)**

**Anyways, what did you think! Review please! i love hearing what you think!**


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